Randall Lee Smith (June 29, 1953 – May 10, 2008)[1] was a convicted murderer from Pearisburg, Virginia.[2] He pleaded guilty shortly before trial commenced to two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of hikers Robert Mountford Jr. and Laura Susan Ramsay, both 27-year-old social workers from Maine who were murdered by Smith while hiking the Appalachian Trail in May 1981.[3][4] He was sentenced to two concurrent 15 year terms, in a plea bargain, and released in 1996 on mandatory parole after serving 15 years.[5]
Smith's sentence and his early release were both met with anger by the victims' families as well as the hiking community. Hikers protested outside the courtroom the day after his sentencing, and a spokesman for the Appalachian Trail Conference said Smith is the "first person convicted of murdering a hiker who has had the opportunity to leave prison".[6] His probation ended in 2006.[7]
On May 6, 2008, Smith attempted to kill Scott Johnston, 38, and Sean Farmer, 33, on a fishing trip near Dismal Creek, less than two miles from the site of the 1981 murders.[8] He was befriended by the two men, who shared their dinner with Smith, before he opened fire on them without warning, shooting Farmer in the head and chest and Johnston in the neck and back; both would survive their wounds.[9] Smith was arrested that day after attempting to escape in Johnston’s truck and subsequently crashing.[10] He died in jail four days later as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.[1][11]
The novel Murder on the Appalachian Trail (1985), by Jess Carr, is a fictionalized account of the 1981 murders.[12]
The 1981 murders and 2008 attacks were depicted in the Investigation Discovery series Dead Silent: The Curse of Dismal Creek, season 1, episode 1, broadcast on October 25, 2016.[13] Smith was also referenced in season 12, episode 4 of Criminal Minds. The 2008 attack was also featured on season 2, episode 17 of I Survived...
randall, smith, june, 1953, 2008, convicted, murderer, from, pearisburg, virginia, pleaded, guilty, shortly, before, trial, commenced, counts, second, degree, murder, deaths, hikers, robert, mountford, laura, susan, ramsay, both, year, social, workers, from, m. Randall Lee Smith June 29 1953 May 10 2008 1 was a convicted murderer from Pearisburg Virginia 2 He pleaded guilty shortly before trial commenced to two counts of second degree murder in the deaths of hikers Robert Mountford Jr and Laura Susan Ramsay both 27 year old social workers from Maine who were murdered by Smith while hiking the Appalachian Trail in May 1981 3 4 He was sentenced to two concurrent 15 year terms in a plea bargain and released in 1996 on mandatory parole after serving 15 years 5 Randall Lee SmithBorn 1953 06 29 June 29 1953Pearisburg Virginia U S DiedMay 10 2008 2008 05 10 aged 54 Dublin Virginia U S Other namesA T Killer note 1 Criminal statusDeceasedConviction s Second degree murder 2 counts Criminal penalty30 years imprisonmentDetailsDateMay 6 2008 15 years ago 2008 05 06 Span of crimes1981 2008Location s Appalachian TrailKilled2Injured2Weapons 22 Short PistolSmith s sentence and his early release were both met with anger by the victims families as well as the hiking community Hikers protested outside the courtroom the day after his sentencing and a spokesman for the Appalachian Trail Conference said Smith is the first person convicted of murdering a hiker who has had the opportunity to leave prison 6 His probation ended in 2006 7 On May 6 2008 Smith attempted to kill Scott Johnston 38 and Sean Farmer 33 on a fishing trip near Dismal Creek less than two miles from the site of the 1981 murders 8 He was befriended by the two men who shared their dinner with Smith before he opened fire on them without warning shooting Farmer in the head and chest and Johnston in the neck and back both would survive their wounds 9 Smith was arrested that day after attempting to escape in Johnston s truck and subsequently crashing 10 He died in jail four days later as a result of injuries sustained in the crash 1 11 The novel Murder on the Appalachian Trail 1985 by Jess Carr is a fictionalized account of the 1981 murders 12 The 1981 murders and 2008 attacks were depicted in the Investigation Discovery series Dead Silent The Curse of Dismal Creek season 1 episode 1 broadcast on October 25 2016 13 Smith was also referenced in season 12 episode 4 of Criminal Minds The 2008 attack was also featured on season 2 episode 17 of I Survived Notes edit A T stands for Appalachian TrailReferences edit a b SMITH Randall Lee Obituaries Roanoke Times May 20 2008 Wil Haygood July 12 2008 Blood on the mountain part 1 South Coast Today Retrieved June 6 2017 Bill Archer May 11 2008 Double shooting suspect dies in custody Bluefield Daily Telegraph Retrieved 5 May 2011 Mike Gangloff May 10 2008 Randall Lee Smith remains a mystery Roanoke Times Retrieved June 6 2017 Duncan Adams May 11 2008 Community reacts to Randall Lee Smith s death Roanoke Times Retrieved June 6 2017 Lisa K Garcia September 26 1996 Hikers killer going home Roanoke Times Retrieved June 6 2017 Laurence Hammack May 7 2008 Pearisburg man never shook reputation as AT killer Roanoke Times Retrieved June 6 2017 Wil Haygood July 9 2008 Lonely Dark and Deep Washington Post Retrieved May 6 2011 Chris Hansen February 15 2009 Escape from Brushy Mountain Dateline NBC Retrieved May 5 2011 Shawna Morrison Mike Gangloff May 7 2008 1981 AT killer linked to new shootings Roanoke Times Retrieved June 6 2017 Shawna Morrison August 6 2008 Randall Lee Smith s death ruled accidental The Roanoke Times Retrieved June 6 2017 Carr Jess 1984 Murder on the Appalachian Trail Boston Commonwealth Press ISBN 0 89227 106 X ID October 25 2016 The Curse of Dismal Creek ID Retrieved October 31 2018 nbsp This crime related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte nbsp This United States biographical article related to crime is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Randall Lee Smith amp oldid 1184794018, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
